How does a man rise from a turbulent youth, navigate immense personal tragedy, and endure years of grueling, thankless work to build a brand that is not just a business, but a legacy?
This powerful episode of the JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS Show brings you the incredible story of Frederick Russell, the founder of Tennessee’s beloved and utterly unique food truck, This Turkey Here. This is more than a story about food; it’s a profound testament to the power of resilience, the importance of mentorship, and the miracles that can be born from grief.
Frederick shares his raw and honest journey, which began as the only boy among four older sisters in a house rocked by divorce. He found his solace and creative spark in two places: art, and his grandmother Rosie’s kitchen, where he first fell in love with the detailed, from-scratch craft of cooking. His path forward was anything but easy, marked by a series of tough, low-paying restaurant jobs, including a nightmarish two-year management training program that had him working 70-hour weeks and sleeping in his car.
The conversation pivots to the heartbreaking loss of his wife’s parents—first her mother to cancer, and then her father, Michael Boyle, who had been Frederick’s biggest believer. It was in this moment of profound loss that a miracle, planted years earlier, came to fruition. Discover the incredible story of how his father-in-law’s faith and foresight provided the unexpected capital that allowed Frederick to finally launch the turkey-focused food truck he had only dared to dream of.
This is a masterclass in building a niche brand from the ground up. Frederick details the strategic genius behind his all-turkey concept—a blue ocean in the crowded food truck world—and how he developed a creative menu that transformed a holiday staple into a year-round craving. He gets candid about the brutal first year of business, the discipline it took to push through when he was barely making money, and how the encouragement from his community became the fuel that kept him going.
For anyone who has ever felt lost or believed their dream was out of reach, this episode is an essential listen. It’s a story about enduring the unimaginable, honoring the legacy of those who believed in you, and proving that with enough faith, grit, and hard work, you can build a truly great and purposeful life.
IG: @thisturkeyhere
Address: thisturkeyhere.com
Phone: 615-569-4912
Email: Info@thisturkeyhere.com
Entrepreneur interested in being on the show: https://calendly.com/justin-bizzarro/podcast
Hosted By: Justin Ryan Bizzarro (IG: @justinbizzarro and LinkedIn: FOLLOW ME )
Who is Justin Ryan Bizzarro? – Justin Bizzarro is a serial food, restaurant, technology, media and marketing entrepreneur, who helped build a 24-year-old group of food and restaurant related businesses, he created with his father and business partners out of his family’s basement, in 1998. He is a highly desired business management, personal and athlete growth, free market, food diversity, and entrepreneurial leadership speaker. Justin’s expertise are in human growth, motivation, leadership and management development, health foods and beverages, global lean manufacturing facilities, vertically integrating businesses, food marketing and advertising, supply chain creation and management, direct to consumer fulfillment, transportation and distribution, personal brand building, restaurant development and construction, and entrepreneur acceleration. Justin received his BA in International Business and Management from Dickinson College, in 2002, and his MBA from University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, in 2014. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity in Leadership from Denver Seminary. His leadership and entrepreneur podcasts have positively impacted millions of people across the globe.
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